Pneumatic coal-cutter



(No Model.) 5 SheetsSheet 1.

F. CARTLIDGE & G. T. WRIGHT. PNEUMATIC GOAL CUTTER.

No. 581,572. Patented Apr. 27, 1897.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

F. OARTLIDGE & G. T. WRIGHT. PNEUMATIC GOAL CUTTER.

No. 581,572. Patented Apr; 27, 1897.

W W/Z/A 4%4/ Ja wm a w ww (No Model.) 5 SheetsSheet 3.

P. OARTLIDGE & G. T. WRIGHT.

PNEUMATIC GOAL CUTTER. No. 581,572.

4 Ov h S .b a 6 MM I m G I R. m m o L M &6 m A M T U E N RP A O R u d o M 0 m atented Apr. 27, 1897.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5,

F. OARTLIDGE 8: G. T. WRIGHT.

PNEUMATIC GOAL CUTTER.

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FRANK OARTLIDGE, OF GILLESIIE, AND GEORGE T. \VRIGIIT, OF BUNKER IIILL, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN R. RICHARDS, OF

BUNKER IIILL, ILLINOIS.

PNEUMATIC COAL-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 581,572, dated April 27, 1897.

Application filed August 31, 1896. Serial No. 604,398. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK CARTLIDGE, of the city of Gillespie, and GEORGE T. WRIGHT, of the city of Bunker Ilill,county of Macon pin,

State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Pneumatic Coal- Cutters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

Our invention relates to that class of pneumatic coal'cutters which are carried upon a carriage or truck and employed to drill or cut the coal at a distance from the source of motive power, which latter is transmitted to the drill by compressed air; and the objects of our invention are, first, to provide an increased means of adjusting and adapting the position of the machine and cutting-tool to the special work in hand; second, to render possible a more extended range of adjustment of the stroke of the tool; third, in such constructive details as render the machine more simple, effective, and economical in its construction and operation. These objects we attain by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which there are five sheets, and in which Figure 1 is a top view of the main body of the machine, the front nozzle, cutting-tool, and tool-carrying piston being cut off; Fig. 2, a rear elevation; Fig. 3, an irregular transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, an axial longitudinal section of the entire machine, as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a detail isometric view, upon larger scale, of the pillow-block 4: shown in plan and section in Figs. 1 and a, respectively; Fig. 6, a detail cross-section through the upper portion of 0 said pillow-block on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 a cross'sectional detail view of the r0- tary valve seen on the line 7 7 of Fig. 4; Fig. 8, a sectional detail view taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 4.; Fig. 9, a detail view of the piston of the rotary engine shown at 9 in Fig. 4. Fig. lOris a detail view in partial section of the cutting-tool and the end of the piston designed t-o l1old the same; Fig. 11, a top view of a modification of my invention, with a portion of the casing broken away to reveal a part of the interior construction; Fig. 12, an axial longitudinal section of Fig. 11; Fig. 13, a detail cross-sectional view 011 the line 13 13 of Fig. 12; Fig. 14:, a detail sectional view on the line let 1a of Fig. 12; Fig. 15, an irregular sectional view of the ports on the line 15 15 of Fig. 12; and Fig. 16 a view of the connecting-rod connections for the slidevalve, as seen 011 the line 16 16 of Fig. 12.

The same numerals throughout the several views refer to corresponding parts.

The main cylinder l7,with its laterally-projeoting ribs 18 18 for supporting the wheelcarrying trunnions 19 1?),constitutes the main body of the truck or carriage, into and upon which all the mechanism of the machine is formed or mounted. This body of the machine is supported upon wheels 20 20, which latter are carried by said trunnions, provided with square or rectangular heads 21, adapted to slide in grooves 22. Surrounding each trunnion is a bushing 23, upon which the wheel of the corresponding side revolves, the wheel being held in place by a washer 24- and retaining-nut 25.

The main cylinder 17 is provided with a reciprocating piston 26, with its piston-head 27 fitting accurately the bore of the cylinder, the said piston-head being provided with a split ring or rings 28 to insure an accurate fit. At each end of said cylinder the bore is increased in diameter, and in the space 78 thus formed a packing is provided for the piston in suchiform and arrangement as to also serve, in conjunction with the air therein retained, S 5 as a cushion for the blow of the piston. This packing consists of two rubber or leather washers 29 and 30 and their retaining-caps 31 and 32 and head-plates 33 in conjunction with two split rings 34: and 35, one internal and the other external with respect to the periphery and the central bore of said packing. The rear end of the main cylinderis provided with a cylinder-head 36, suitably fastened to the body of the cylinder, and this head supports 5 a bushing 37, which serves to extend the bearing for the piston and furnish a means of rotating the piston about itslongitudinal axis, as will be hereinafter explained.

Mounted upon and suitablyattached to this bushing is a rotatable disk 38 with an upwardly-projecting standard 39, carrying a locking device consisting of the handle 40, the lever-arm 41, the spring 42, and the downwardly-projecting tooth 43, for engagement in suitably-located notches 44 in the cylinderhead. The bushing 37is provided with a slot 45, which engages a lug or pin 46, projecting from the side of the rear end of the piston. The front end of the main cylinder is provided with a cylinder-head 47, suitably attached to the body of the cylinder and forming a bearing for the front or tool-carrying end of the piston. The continuation of this head, by means of which an extended bearing is formed for the tool-carrying end of the piston, is shown at 90 in Fig. 2, where 91 is the bushing forming said bearing proper and 92 abolt for retaining the same, 93 being an annular ring in the bushing, which admits of the latter turning while yet being held in position.

Mounted upon and above the main cylinder by pillow-blocks 4 is a secondary cylinder or casin g 48, within which is a rotary pneumatic engine 49 of any suitable and well-known construction. 9 indicates the rotary piston of this engine.

A shaft 77 is supported by the pillow-blocks 4 and the cylinder-heads 50. The extremi ties of this shaft are bored out at 51 and 52 and provided with exhaust-port holes 53 and 54. This shaft carries two rotary disks 55 and 56, provided with valve-openings 57 and 58, and'the heads of the secondary cylinder or casing are provided with ind notion-port holes 59 and 60. The rotating disks are pressed against the said cylinder-heads, which form.

valve-seats therefor by springs 61. lVithin the said pillow-blocks 4 are air-chambers 62 and 63 and ports 64 and 65, communicating with ports 66 and 67 in the main cylinder. is an exhaust-air guard, attached to the flywheel 69. Attached to the laterally-projecting ribs of the main cylinder are handles 70 for directing and manipulating the machine in the customary manner.

71 and 72, Fig. 3, are respectively induction and eduction ports for the rotary engine, and 73 is a valve for regulating the supply of air thereto.

74 is the main air-supply pipe, carrying air to the chamber 75, and 76 is the valve and controlling device therefor.

The cutting-tool is shown at 79 in Fig. 10. It may be removed by inserting a wedge 84 into the hole 85. r

The operation of the machine is as follows: On opening the valve 76 the compressed air enters the chamber 75. From thence a portion of the air enters the rotary engine through the induction-port'71, the amount being dependent upon the extent to which the valve 73 is open, operating in its course said rotary engine and emerging through the exhaust-port 72. The operation of this engine rotates the shaft 77, which in turn rotates the disks 55 and 56, thus alternately opening and closing the valves 57 and 58 and admitting the remainder of the air alternately in front of and behind the piston-head through the ports 64 and 66 and and 67, and alternately opening and closing the exhaust-port holes 53 and 54. In case the piston-head 27 should at any time not stand in the proper position for the air to cause its movement in the right direction it is evident that the next half-revolution of the rotary engine will bring the parts in their proper relationship. After the piston-head 27 is driven to the extreme end of its excursion in either direction its recoil from its impact with the cushion formed by the rubber washers 29 and 30 and the air retained within the chamber 78 will cause it to assume a position such as will admit a new charge of compressed air behind it.

The plane of the cutting edge of the tool can at any time be changed from a horizontal. to a vertical position, or vice versa, during the operation of the machine by simply unlocking the locking device by pressing together the handle 40 and lever-arm 41 and rotating the disk 38, which in turn rotates the bushing 37, which in its turn rotates the piston 36 by reason of the construction shown and described.

The number of strokes of the tool per minute, it is manifest, can be varied and regulated by changing the speed of the rotary engine, and this is accomplished by varying the amount of air admitted to said engine through the controlling-valve 73.

The force of the stroke of the tool may be varied by regulating the amount of air admi tted through the main controlling-valve 7 6.

In the modification of our invention shown in Figs. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 we provide a reciprocating slide-valve moving upon a horizontal valve-seat in lieu of the rotary valves shown in the construction already described. The reciprocating motion is imparted to this valve by changing the rotary motion of a rotary engine into a reciprocating motion through the instrumentality of an eccentric mounted upon the shaft of the engine and an eccentric-strap carried thereby and attached to a connecting-rod with which the slide-valve is articulatel y connected. In this construction 80 represents the eccentric upon the rotary-engine shaft; 81, the eccentricstrap; 82, the connecting-rod; 83, the reciprocatin g slide-valve. The rotary engine, bein g of a well-known construction, does not require special description. The remaining parts of this modification of our invention, being similar, except in form and arrangement, to the corresponding parts of the construction already described, we have indicated them by similar reference-numerals. The reciprocating slide-valve, connecting-rod, eccentricstrap, and eccentric in this modification are the equivalent of the rotary valves of the construction first described, and each corresponding and similarly-numbered part of the remainder of this machine performs substantially the same function in substantially the same way and only represents such departures in details of construction and arrangement from the first construction shown and described as we think we would be entitled to make while yet adhering to the principle of construction peculiar to our invention as embodied in the first construction described. The method of operation of this modification should be apparent from the graphic description of the drawings in conjunction with the description already given.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a pneumatic coal-cutter, the combination of a cylinder, a reciprocating piston-rod provided with a laterally-projecting pin or lug, and a bushing or sleeve for said piston suitably slotted to engage said pin or lug, substantially as and for the purposes shown and described.

2. In a pneumatic coal-cutting machine, the combination of a cylinder, a reciprocating piston capable of being rotated about its longitudinal axis during the operation of the 1nachine, and a device for rotating the same provided with a locking mechanism adapted to hold said piston in any desired position about said axis.

3. In a pneumatic coal-cutter, a reciprocatin g piston-rod, bearings supporting the ends of said piston-rod, a piston-cylinder between said bearings through which said piston-rod operates, a piston operating in said cylinder and rigidly fixed upon and supported by said pistonrod at a point intermediate of said bearings, said piston-rod being rotatably mounted, means of rotating said piston-rod without interfering with the reciprocation of said piston-rod, and means of locking said piston-rod in any desired position about its axis, substantially as specified.

4. In a pneumatic coal-cutter, a suitable framework mounted on wheels, a piston-cylinder supported by said framework, a pistonrod extending through said piston-cylinder, bearings at each end of said piston-cylinder and supporting the ends of said piston-rod, a cutting-tool carried by the forward end of said piston-rod, a piston mounted upon and supported by said piston-rod and operating in said piston-cylinder, said piston-rod being larger in front'of said piston than behind it and said piston-rod being rotatably mounted, means of rotating said piston-rod without interfering with its reciprocation, and means of locking said piston-rod in any desired position about its axis, substantially as speci fied.

5. In a pneumatic coal-cutter, a suitable framework mounted on wheels, a piston-cylinder supported by said framework, a pistonrod extending through said piston-cylinder; bearings at each end of said piston-cylinder and supporting the ends of said piston-rod, a cutting-tool carried by the forward end of said piston-rod, a piston mounted upon and supported by said piston-rod and operating in said piston-cylinder, said piston-rod being larger in front of said piston than behind it and said piston-rod being rotatably mounted, packing-rings around said piston-rod and at each end of said cylinder and forming buffers for said piston, suitable means of controlling the passage of air to and from said cylinder, means of rotating said piston-rod without interfering with its reciprocation, and means of locking said piston-rod in any desired position about its axis, substantially as specified.

6. In a pneumatic coal-cutter, a cylinder, a reciprocating piston operating in said cylinder and means of controlling the passage of air to and from said cylinder,which means consists of a secondary cylinder mounted above the first-mentioned cylinder, a rotary pneumatic engine mounted within said secondary cylinder, the extremities of the shaft of said pneumatic cylinder being bored out and provided with exhaust port-holes and there be ing port-holes through the ends of said secondary cylinder near to the bearings of said shaft, rotary valves mounted upon the shaft of said pneumatic engine inside of the head of said secondary cylinder and held yieldingly in engagement with said heads to open and close the port-holes through said heads, and there being air-passages from said portholes to the first-mentioned cylinder, substantially as specified.

7. In a pneumatic coal-cutter, a piston-cylinder, a reciprocating piston operating in said cylinder, means of rotating said piston with out interfering with its reciprocation, means of locking said piston at any desired point about its axis, and means of controlling the passage of air to and from said cylinder; said means for controlling the passage of air consisting of a secondary cylinder mounted above the first-mentioned cylinder, a rotary pneumatic engine mounted within said secondary cylinder, the extremities of the shaft of said pneumatic cylinder being bored out and provided with exhaust port-holes and there being port-holes through the ends of said secondary cylinder near to the bearings of said shaft, rotary valves mounted upon the shaft of said pneumatic engine inside of the head of said secondary cylinder and held yieldingly in engagement with said heads to open and close the port-holes through said FRANK CARTLIDGE. GEO. T. WRIGHT.

IVitnesses:

W. P. DIOKIE, JAMES M. I-Ioucn. 

